TriMet wants to drop free bus service in Fareless Square

John M. Vincent/Special to The OregonianA TriMet bus moves through downtown Portland.

TriMet today proposed to cut free bus service in Fareless Square, by Jan. 3, 2010, the biggest cut to the city's landmark free transit zone since it was established in 1975.

The change to the square -- covering downtown Portland, Old Town, the convention center and Lloyd Center -- would simplify the system and save money as agency revenues drop, TriMet said Wednesday.

Free rides would continue on the streetcar and light rail, including two lines that begin running north-south through the downtown bus mall by September.

Free rides would continue on the streetcar and light rail, including two lines that begin running north-south through the downtown bus mall by September.

"Thirty-four years ago, we didn't have any rail," TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch said Wednesday. "Now the system has changed, especially when we're putting light rail on Fifth and Sixth (avenues) in the heart of downtown."

But the change would eliminate convenient free bus trips and make some areas of downtown tougher to get to, said Steve Trujillo, president of the Portland Downtown Neighborhood Association.

That's a problem for downtown residents with limited mobility, Trujillo said, including many elderly residents.

"There are still holes in the system from the perspective of someone who can't get around very easily," he said. "There are an awful lot of folks who moved here because they don't want to drive or can't."

TriMet has had a love-hate relationship with the fareless service over the years. Boosters view it as emblematic of the city's green ethic.

But some businesses who pay the agency's payroll tax have complained about lost revenues and crime, and the agency has tried to cut or eliminate the square several times.

In late 2007, TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen proposed eliminating free transit in the square from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. following a spate of crimes on MAX. But he backed off after the proposal drew strong opposition.

This time, the proposal to eliminate free bus service has the support of the Portland Business Alliance and acquiescence from Travel Portland.

"It would be great if everything could stay free," Travel Portland spokeswoman Deborah Wakefield said. "But the primary modes of transportation that our visitors use are MAX and the streetcar."

According to a 2006 passenger census, the vast majority of weekday boardings in the square take place along light-rail lines or in the bus mall. About three-quarters of bus rides that start downtown begin and end in the bus mall, the survey found.

TriMet says eliminating the free bus service would make managing the buses simpler for drivers and reduce fare evasion.

Riders would also be less inclined to jump on the bus for a few blocks downtown and then get off. Those short trips slow bus traffic on the downtown bus mall, Fetsch said.

The agency estimates it will collect $800,000 more annually if bus riders are charged in the fareless zone. Its budget for 2010 is $874 million.

The elimination of free bus service would not reduce crime and nuisance complaints on MAX, the major crime complaint associated with Fareless Square, consultants told TriMet last earlier this year.

But it could help some with security, the consultants said, because drug dealers tend to favor the bus for its more frequent service.

TriMet also considered other options, including eliminating Fareless Square entirely and dropping the Lloyd Center stop, the focus of many nuisance complaints.

The TriMet board, which would have to approve the change, is split on the value of the fareless zone. Board member Lynn Lehrbach, a Teamsters Union organizer, said in a meeting Wednesday that he sees the square as a public service that encourages transit use.

George Passadore, TriMet board president, once thought the entire transit system should be free.

But after more than a decade on the board, he has decided free service promotes disrespect for mass transit and draws legitimate criticism from suburban businesses that that don't benefit from a fareless area in downtown Portland.

On Wednesday, TriMet also proposed reducing non-rush-hour bus frequency by 2 to 4 minutes on 27 lines, many of them major. In most cases, buses that now come every 15 minutes would come every 17 minutes in off hours. The changes would take effect Nov. 29.

TriMet said the service reductions are needed to make up a $3.5 million hole left in TriMet's budget after earlier cuts, including eliminating four bus lines. New fare revenue from Fareless Square buses is not factored into the budget.

TriMet is accepting public comments on both proposals through 5 p.m. July 17. It has also scheduled several public hearings July 13. Get more details.